Legislator Urges UT and A&M to Keep the Rivalry Going

William Powers Jr., UT President and R. Bowen Loftin, Texas A&M President at TribLive on April 28, 2011.

State Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, is not eager to see the generations-old rivalry between Texas A&M University and University of Texas end after this Thanksgiving's game.

Earlier this year, A&M officially left the Big 12 Conference and found a new home in the Southeastern Conference. While A&M has expressed a willingness to maintain the traditional Thanksgiving game, UT has indicated that scheduling such a match-up, now that the schools are in different conferences, might not be possible.

In a letter to the presidents, athletic directors, and chancellors of the respective institutions, Larson — himself an Aggie — said he'd like to see another game next year and in the many years to come. He cited multiple examples of rivalries that have been maintained despite the teams' membership in different conferences.

"Clearly, this can be accomplished if all involved are willing to put their egos aside," Larson wrote.

Meanwhile, where Larson sees an era ending, others see a new one beginning. Tim Taliaferro, the editor of The Alcalde, UT's alumni magazine, wrote an open letter to Aggies calling for a new relationship between the two schools with a stronger focus on educational success.

Here's an excerpt from Taliaferro's letter:

"Since our impending split means we will no longer have to worry about whether the Longhorn Network is unfair, or whether one school or the other is to blame for the conference shakeup, let us today consider a new partnership. A chance to hit reset. A chance to set our differences aside and work together. The future of our state depends on how well our population gets educated, period."

And here is Larson's letter in full:

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